Writing payroll checks

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Navigation:  MLS 2026 Fully Integrated Accounting > Payroll > Payroll Processing >

Writing payroll checks

Once:

Gross Pay

deductions

withholding

Net Pay

have all been calculated and verified:

👉 payroll checks may then be processed and printed.

MLS 2026 automatically creates:

payroll checks

payroll accounting entries

bank transactions

payroll history records

during this procedure.


Starting Payroll Check Processing

To begin payroll check printing:

👉 select:

Payroll Process

Write Checks

from the Payroll menu.

The system will then prompt for several items needed to create the payroll checks.


Payroll Date

Enter:

👉 the payroll check date

This is:

the official payroll payment date

the date printed on employee checks

the date used for payroll accounting entries

⚠️ Be sure the date matches:

your payroll records

payroll reports

bank processing requirements


Bank Account ID

Select:

👉 the bank account

against which the payroll checks will be written.

This account should normally be:

the dedicated payroll checking account

or

the company operating account used for payroll processing.

MLS 2026 will:

deduct payroll amounts

create bank transactions

track payroll checks

against the selected account automatically.


Beginning Check Number

The system displays:

👉 the next available payroll check number

for the selected bank account.

You may:

accept the displayed value

or

enter a different starting number if necessary.

This is especially useful when:

switching check stock

replacing damaged checks

continuing from manually written checks

restarting after printer problems


Payroll Check Processing

After the setup information is entered:

👉 MLS 2026 processes all payroll checks automatically.

The system will:

calculate final Net Pay

generate payroll checks

create accounting entries

update payroll totals

update bank account balances

prepare check printing

for all employees included in the payroll batch.


Printing Payroll Checks

Once payroll processing is complete:

👉 the system prompts you to print the payroll checks.

⚠️ Before printing live checks:

it is strongly recommended that you:

test alignment

verify printer setup

confirm check stock positioning

using plain paper first.

This helps avoid:

wasted check stock

alignment errors

printer jams

payroll check reprocessing


Payroll Check Storage

All payroll checks are automatically:

👉 saved in the Bank Account system

This provides:

historical payroll records

bank reconciliation support

payroll audit tracking

easy reprinting capability

Payroll checks become part of:

the bank ledger

check history

accounting records

automatically.


Reprinting Payroll Checks

If a payroll check must be reprinted due to:

printer jams

damaged checks

alignment problems

lost printouts

simply access:

👉 Bank → Check

and locate the payroll check within the Bank Check system.

The stored payroll check may then be:

reviewed

edited if necessary

reprinted

using the normal bank check processing functions.


Important Payroll Printing Recommendations

⚠️ Before releasing payroll checks:

Always verify:

employee names

payroll dates

check amounts

bank account selection

check numbering

printer alignment

Payroll corrections after checks are distributed can become:

time consuming

confusing

expensive

particularly once:

taxes

accounting

bank reconciliation

have already been processed.


Recommended Payroll Workflow

A typical payroll cycle should follow this order:

1.Calculate Gross Pay

2.Review payroll values

3.Calculate deductions and withholding

4.Review Net Pay

5.Process payroll checks

6.Print payroll reports

7.Verify General Ledger postings

8.Backup payroll data


Recommended Best Practices

When writing payroll checks:

Verify payroll totals before printing

Confirm bank account selection carefully

Test print alignment on plain paper

Review check numbering

Retain payroll reports for audit purposes

Reconcile payroll bank activity regularly

Backup payroll data after processing


Recommended Companion Sections

This section works closely with:

Gross Pay Processing and Review

Payroll Withholding Calculations and Net Pay

Bank Account Processing

Payroll Reports

Payroll Troubleshooting

Payroll Year-End Closing

Together, these sections provide a complete payroll processing and payroll check management workflow within MLS 2026.